ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Fifth Sunday of Lent, 22
March 2015
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, John the Evangelist
draws our attention with a curious detail: some “Greeks”, of the Jewish
religion, who have come to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, turn to Philip
and say to him: “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21). There are many people in the
holy city, where Jesus has come for the last time, there are many people. There
are the little ones and the simple ones, who have warmly welcomed the Prophet
of Nazareth, recognizing Him as the Messenger of the Lord. There are the High
Priests and the leaders of the people, who want to eliminate Him because they
consider him a heretic and dangerous. There are also people, like those
“Greeks”, who are curious to see Him and to know more about his person and
about the works He has performed, the last of which — the resurrection of Lazarus
— has caused quite a stir.
“We wish to see Jesus”: these words, like so many
others in the Gospels, go beyond this particular episode and express something
universal; they reveal a desire that passes through the ages and cultures, a
desire present in the heart of so many people who have heard of Christ, but
have not yet encountered him. “I wish to see Jesus”, thus He feels the heart of
these people.
Responding indirectly, in a prophetic way, to that
request to be able to see Him, Jesus pronounces a prophecy that reveals his
identity and shows the path to know Him truly: “The hour has come for the Son
of Man to be glorified” (Jn 12:23). It is the hour of the Cross! It is the time
for the defeat of Satan, prince of evil, and of the definitive triumph of the
merciful love of God. Christ declares that He will be “lifted up from the
earth” (v. 32), an expression with a twofold meaning: “lifted” because He is
crucified, and “lifted” because He is exalted by the Father in the
Resurrection, to draw everyone to Him and to reconcile mankind with God and
among themselves. The hour of the Cross, the darkest in history, is also the
source of salvation for those who believe in Him.
Continuing in his prophecy of the imminent
Passover, Jesus uses a simple and suggestive image, that of the “‘grain of wheat’
that, once fallen into the earth, dies in order to bear fruit (cf. v. 24). In
this image we find another aspect of the Cross of Christ: that of fruitfulness.
The death of Jesus, in fact, is an inexhaustible source of new life, because it
carries within itself the regenerative strength of God’s love. Immersed in this
love through Baptism, Christians can become “grains of wheat” and bear much
fruit if they, like Jesus, “lose their life” out of love for God and brothers
and sisters (cf. v. 25).
For this reason, to those who, today too, “wish to
see Jesus”, to those who are searching for the face of God; to those who
received catechesis when they were little and then developed it no further and
perhaps have lost their faith; to so many who have not yet encountered Jesus
personally…; to all these people we can offer three things: the Gospel, the
Crucifix and the witness of our faith, poor but sincere. The Gospel: there we
can encounter Jesus, listen to Him, know Him. The Crucifix: the sign of the
love of Jesus who gave Himself for us. And then a faith that is expressed in
simple gestures of fraternal charity. But mainly in the coherence of life,
between what we say and what we do. Coherence between our faith and our life,
between our words and our actions: Gospel, Crucifix, Witness.
May Our Lady help us to bring these three things
forth.
After the
Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, despite the bad weather
so many of you have come. Well done! You were very brave. The marathon runners
are also very brave. I greet them with affection! Yesterday, I was in Naples on
a pastoral visit. I want to thank all Neapolitans for the very warm welcome,
they are so good. Thank you so much!
Today marks the World Water Day promoted by the
United Nations. Water is the most essential element for life, and the future of
humanity depends on our capacity to guard it and share it. I therefore
encourage the International Community to be vigilant so as to ensure that the
planet’s waters be adequately protected and that no one be excluded or
discriminated against in the use of this resource, which is a resource par
excellence. With St Francis of Assisi, we say: “Praised be You, my Lord,
through Sister Water, / she is very useful and humble and precious and pure”
(Canticle of the Sun).
And now we will repeat a gesture previously
performed last year: according to the ancient tradition of the Church, the
Gospel is delivered during Lent to those who are preparing for Baptism; thus
today I offer to you who are in the Square a pocket-sized Gospel. It will be
distributed gratis by several homeless people who live in Rome. In this too, we
see a very beautiful gesture that pleased Jesus: the ones most in need are the
ones who give us the Word of God. Take this Gospel and carry it with you, to read
it often, every day. Carry it in your purse, in your pocket, read from it
often, a passage every day. The Word of God is a light for our path! It will do
you well. Do it.
I wish you all a nice Sunday, Please, do not
forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and Arrivederci!
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